


True Friends

by Silex



Category: Watership Down - Richard Adams
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Post-Canon, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 09:29:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16829890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silex/pseuds/Silex
Summary: It's a chance of a lifetime to join El-ahrairah's Owsla, but Hazel has to wonder if the Prince is making the right choice by making him the offer.





	True Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halotolerant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halotolerant/gifts).



> It's been so long since I've read the book. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to revisit this setting and its wonderful characters.

“You know,” Hazel said quietly, looking down on the warren he had founded, in awe of the weight of countless generations of rabbits past and yet to come, “There were times when I was compared to you.”

“Really?” El-ahrairah quirked his ear good naturedly, “For the adventures you went on? I’ve seen them of course, but tell me about them. Hearing stories from those who have lived them is always wonderful. It’s what makes them real you know.”

“No,” Hazel looked away, staring down at the warren, appreciating it in a whole new way, “Or yes. It’s complicated.”

“Complicated stories are some of the best ones and the adventures you and your friends went on are certainly worthy stories, as amazing as any of my escapades certainly. We can talk as I show you around,” the Prince offered, hopping off towards the sunshine and the smell of new spring grass.

Hazel followed, feeling the weight of seasons slip away, “It was an adventure, all of it, but that’s not what I mean. In fact, when my friends compared me to you I wanted to tell them that they were wrong.”

“Why would you say that?” El-ahrairah laughed and stomped his foot as though it were the funniest thing that he’d ever heard, “You fled from a doomed warren at the word of your little seer friend. Nothing but the dream of death and you fled from it. And rightfully so. No place to go to and no warren to return to and you led your friends on. It’s certainly a deed that I’d be proud to have attributed to me.”

“There is that,” Hazel agreed, “But that seems so long ago, the danger so far away. And I had my friends. They’re the ones that kept me going.”

“What about your taking the hutch does? Befriending a bird so that he could scout the lay of the land for you and sneaking onto a farm. If not for having done something similar myself I’d scarcely believe such a story to be true.”

El-ahrairah did have a point there, but Hazel only dipped his head, “When you put it that way I suppose you’re right, about my adventures at least. And maybe I can see why the rabbits of my warren would compare me to you, but they don’t know all of it. There were so many times I was afraid, during the worst of it I would have stood there utterly _tharn_.”

“But you didn’t,” the Prince reminded, “You saved your friends, built a warren. And what about your dealings with Efrafa, taking their does, tricking their strongest Owsla members? Before that even there was the trick with the bit of wood and the river. That certainly proves that you’re worthy of joining my Owsla. Even I was impressed by that trick of floating away and hope to have the chance to use it someday.”

“That was never my idea. Blackberry thought of it and I’ll admit that at the time I didn’t understand,” Hazel said quickly, “I just trusted him.”

“Exactly!” El-ahrairah laughed, “How many bucks would have dismissed something like that? A truly great leader knows when to listen to others. All the times your friends had ideas, even ones that you didn’t understand, and you saw the wisdom in them. Why do you think I keep an Owsla if not for their advice?”

There was no way for Hazel to argue against that. There had been countless times that he had listened to the advice of others. It was the reason they had all survived. But there was one he looked to, not just for advice, but for inspiration. If El-ahrairah was right about him seeing the wisdom in the ideas of others, then he also saw the greatness in others, one especially far eclipsing his own.

“You might see me as worthy,” Hazel lowered his ears thoughtfully, “It’s that of all the rabbits I’ve known there are so many just as worthy and at least one far more so. There were times when I was compared to you and he was compared to Rabscuttle and that’s where they were wrong. The truth is, I was Rabscuttle to his being like you. He was the brave one, the bold one, the one who pushed on and took risks. His was the drive and determination that made all my ideas work. I would look to him and trust that if he believed I was making the right choice then it was the right choice. I never would have made it anywhere if not for him. My dear friend _Thlayli_ is the one who should be on your Owsla. Bigwig was the bravest of us all, the most clever of us all in his own quiet way. And as outspoken and bold as he was, he never asked for more than was his due. To tell the truth, I don’t think that he even asked for half of what he deserved. You mention Efrafa, but I can’t help but think that the _rah_ there thought Bigwig was our _rah_ and when he learned otherwise assumed that I was larger and braver and cleverer than Bigwig. All the rabbits of my warren admired me, but Bigwig was the rabbit I admired more than anyone else.”

El-ahrairah nodded, “I see. So you’re saying that he should take your place on my Owsla.”

There was no hesitation on Hazel’s part, “Of course! After all he’s done for me I owe him so much, more than I can ever repay. All I ask is that I get the chance to be there when you give him the news of his promotion. I want to see how happy he is that he’ll be able to protect your warren as he protected all of us, to join you on adventures the way he did with me. I think that’s a reward that he would truly love.

“I’m sorry,” El-ahrairah’s ears dipped, “That’s impossible for even me to do. It’s a wonderful thing to do for a friend, but there are reasons I cannot.”

“Oh,” Hazel slumped, trailing farther behind the Prince “I suppose it was a lot for me to ask for. But can you at least tell me that he’s happy where he is?”

“I could,” El-ahrairah said affably, “But before you go all _tharn_ , as you said you might, at least accompany me to my warren. Stop and rest for a while, enjoy the sweet grass and let me introduce you to at least one of the members of my Owsla and then, if you don’t want to join as well, you’re free to wander off on whatever great adventures you can find in this place. I assure you that there are many and if you decide to leave and then return I will be ready and waiting to hear of them.”

“There’s no harm in that,” Hazel agreed, “And maybe I can find Bigwig on one of those adventures.”

“You may very well,” El-ahrairah’s nose wrinkled with amusement, “And look, even now members of my Owsla are coming to greet us, to see what occasion required me to head out without letting them know. Of course, I do it often enough that they should be used to it by now.”

He tilted back his head and laughed in a way that Hazel had never seen a rabbit do, pure and relaxed and as golden as Lord Frith himself.

It brought a sense of peace and safety to Hazel, the memory of clear blue skies full of birdsong and new grass fresh from the rains, the clean earth of a new burrow and dear friends waiting for you.

And to find Bigwig it was a sound and place that he would happily leave, though it was only right that he at least met El-ahrairah’s Owsla, the Prince had been kind enough to take the time for him after all.

He could see them coming over a small hill, a small group of rabbits, little more than shadows lit from behind. One had a curiously bent ear, another had fur going every which way, a third moved with a noticeable limp, favoring one of their front paws and one stood out by their size alone. A hulking figure, towering over the others, made larger by time and memory, ears held high.

The towering buck stopped mid stride, nearly stumbling, then half ran, half fell down the hill.

“Hazel!” He cried out, “Hazel- _rah_!”

“Bigwig!” Hazel felt his heart leap, “You’re here!”

“Of course,” the larger rabbit beamed, bounding up and nearly knocking Hazel over in his enthusiastic greeting, “I’ve been waiting for you all this time. Now let me show you around, you won’t believe this warren and the places to see. It’ll take days at least, but we have time. And while we’re at it, tell me what you’ve been up to. Staying out of trouble no doubt, living a quiet, boring life?”

“Well, there were some moments,” Hazel laughed, looking over at the Prince and then back to his old friend, “And quite a few scares, but mostly I missed you.”

“Or course you did,” Bigwig teased, “You were probably glad to have a moment’s peace, but now that you’re here they’ll have to believe my stories.”

Bigwig glanced over at his fellow Owsla members, several of them looking on quizzically, “And you thought I made him up, but you’ll see. No offense to the Prince here, but Hazel is the wisest Rabbit you’ll ever meet. He sees things that anyone else would miss, those ears of his – he listens with them like no other rabbit, believe me when I say we can all learn from Hazel here.”

Next to Hazel El-ahrairah nodded sagely, “No matter many times, it’s always a joy to be home with friends. Welcome to my warren, welcome home!”


End file.
